it's friday, february 21st, 2025. this is "cbs news mornings."

terror in tel aviv. three buses explode across central israel in scenes eerily reminiscent of bombings during the palestinian uprisings of the 2000s. what investigators have uncovered. where is shiri? a new twist after hamas hands over four coffins including two holding the youngest hostages, but israel says their mother was not with them. first, legal victory. president trump scores a big win in his fight to drastically shrink the federal work force. good morning, i'm michael george. president trump and billionaire elon musk are taking a victory lap around washington after a court victory in their bid to shrink the government. a federal judge, an obama appointee, refused to stop the president's mass firings saying unions representing those workers have to take their claims to the federal labor relations authority. but the chairwoman of that agency, a biden appointee, is

one of the people that trump fired. cbs' jarred hill joins us. good morning. the fight isn't over yet, but it looks like for now the layoffs are going forward. >> that's right. in a couple of these attempts to stop these firings, what we're seeing here is the judges are chiming in saying the unions aren't going about their challenges in the right way. a problem with the procedure, not the merit. now entering his second month in his second term, president trump and his advisers are celebrating. ♪ elon musk whipped out a chainsaw at a conservative conference thursday. >> this is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. >> reporter: as a federal judge said his and president donald trump's efforts to hack through the federal work force can proceed. earlier the president praised doge's efforts at a black history month event. >> elon musk has done an amazing job. i have to tell you. him and his super geniuses. >> reporter: cbs news found that more than 12,000 federal jobs have been eliminated or are expected to be terminated

including more than 6,000 irs workers this week. most laid off have been recent hires with probationary status like katie sandlin. she recently move the to d.c. from alabama to work as an educator at the institutes of health. given a termination letter that claimed "your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the agency." she says her supervisor said there was no problem with her work. >> we do important work. we're impactful. if you have questions or concerns about federal workers, ask one. >> our new administration has accomplished more than most administrations do in four years. >> reporter: last night president trump played up his first month on the job at a republican governors meeting including progress on immigration. >> we began the largest deportation operation in american history. >> reporter: u.s. border patrol tells cbs news crossings have dropped 94% compared to the same time last year. a downward trend started under the previous administration.

>> so republican senators have been working through the night on a budget vote to try to pass $340 billion in funding for the trump agenda. there's a republican budget plan in the house. why the two plans? >> two different approaches to try to get president trump's top priorities through at some point. the house wants to do everything at one time which president trump actually says he prefers. the senate is trying to split this up into two different budget packages focusing first on border security, military spending, and changes to energy policy, then tackling trump's tax cuts because they think that is going to take longer to hash out. tonight or i guess really this morning because the voting's still happening is that senate vote where democrats are bringing up as many amendments as they possibly can stand to force everybody on the record about the number of issues. really the effort here is to get folks on the record so that they can then bring this up later for political purposes. on both sides of the aisle. >> sure. all right. thanks for joining us.

overseas, a series of explosions rock israel threatening to unravel the already-shaky cease-fire with hamas. three empty buses blew up near tel aviv in what israeli officials are calling a suspected terror attack. explosives were found on two other buses nearby, but they didn't detonate. israeli police now say the five bombs were identical and equipped with timers. officials believe they were supposed to be part of a coordinated attack planned for the friday morning rush but went off too early. no injuries have been reported, and no one has claimed responsibility. that comes as israel demands hamas return the body of shiri bibas, mother of the two youngest hostages brought home in coffins. israel confirmed the remains of the boys saying they were murdered a month after capture. but israel says the third body is not their mother or any other hostage.

the shock coming after a propaganda ceremony had sparked anger and warning across israel. under a grim gaza sky, four coffins were paraded in a hamas propaganda spectacle. ♪ the fighters handed over the bodies of 4-year-old ariel bibas and his 9 month old brother kfir. their mother shiri was not among them. the family has become an indelible symbol of the october 7 terror attack. and as the convoy made its way into israel, mourners lined the streets to pay their respects. the fragile cease-fire in gaza is approaching the end of its first phase. on saturday six more living hostages are expected to be freed. this woman's son edan will not be among them. >> every release of course i'm crying and feeling it's very, very emotional.

i also cry because it's not edan. it's not my boy. >> reporter: originally from new jersey, edan is thought to be the last living american hostage. he volunteered for the israeli army after finishing school and is only due to be released in the second stage of the deal. negotiations for that have not met begun. do you feel that the israeli government owes you something? >> of course. he came to protect israel. where is israel? they need to protect him. they need to bring him home. >> reporter: her message for pime minister benjamin netanyahu -- you cannot stop negotiating now. >> imagine it was you. imagine you were the father, your son is held in gaza tunnels alive, and still waiting to be released. why -- do it. >> reporter: debora patta, cbs news. and the body of the fourth

hostage returned to israel was identified as oded lifshitz. israel says the 83-year-old was killed by islamic jihad more than a year ago. now more fallout from president trump's war of words with ukraine's president. a news conference that was supposed to follow talks between president volodymer zelenskyy and trump's ukraine envoy was called off yesterday. the tension between trump and zelenskyy is casting doubt on further u.s. support for ukraine. trump has been pushing for an end to the war three years after russia's invasion. white house national security adviser mike waltz -- >> look, president trump is obviously very frustrated right now with president zelenskyy. the fact that he hasn't come to the table. >> now this week trump has been echoing talking points from russian president vladimir putin calling zelenskyy a dictator and blaming russia's invasion on ukraine. a key ally of president trump has been confirmed to lead

the fbi. kash patel won senate confirmation yesterday in a narrow 51-49 vote. two republicans joined democrats in opposing him. patel wants to make major changes in the fbi and has in the past fiercely criticized the nation's premier law enforcement agency. democrats raise concern he plans to target president trump's political opponents. and senator mitch mcconnell chose his 83rd birthday to reveal he will not seek re-election next year. the kentucky republican has been a towering figure in gop politics for decades. he's the longest serving senate party leader in american history. among his biggest political accomplishments his role in creating a conservative majority on the supreme court. and new york governor kathy hochul will not remove embattled new york city mayor eric adams from office at least for now. instead, she announced she'll seek to impose guard rails that

give state and city officials some oversight over mayor adams. the mayor has been facing calls to resign in exchange for federal charges being dropped. coming up, the menendez brothers are making rare public remarks from prison. and team usa and canada go into overtime on the ice. we've got the highlights and the reaction. my moderate to severe crohn's disease... ...and my ulcerative colitis symptoms... ...kept me... ...out of the picture. now... ...there's skyrizi. ♪i've got places to go...♪ ♪...and i'm feeling free♪ ♪control of my symptoms means everything...♪ ♪...to me♪ ♪control is everything to me♪ and now... ...i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at... ...4 weeks with skyrizi. skyrizi is proven to help deliver remission... ...and help visibly improve damage.... ...of the intestinal lining at 12 weeks and 1 year. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions,... ...increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur.

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posting, you can't take our country, and you can't take our game. the menendez brothers are speaking out from behind bars, and murder charges after a prison beating. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the new york times" reports six correction officers have been charged with murder in the deaths of a new york inmate. this body cam video captured in december at marcy correctional facility shows multiple officers beating robert brooks. the 43-year-old died after the attack. an autopsy report found brooks' death had been caused in part by multiple blunt impact injuries. the six corrections officers are facing several charges including second-degree murder. "the san diego tribune" says the suspect in the homicide of a california fire captain has been identified as the victim's wife. authorities say yolanda marodi, also known as yolanda elanachk, stabbed rebecca marodi to death.

the suspect's location is currently unknown, and an all-out hunt is to find her. "people" magazine reports erik menendez he and his brothers lyle have been bullied violently and assaulted in prison. the duo are currently serving life behind bars for killing their parents inside the family's beverly hills mansion back in 1989. in a phone interview with tmz, erik menendez said during an assault lyle's jaw was broken. he also recounted the grief he says he's gone through. >> i was picked on, bullied violently, and i was -- it was traumatic and continual. >> the menendez brothers are awaiting a hearing to determine whether they should be resentenced for their parents' murder. coming up, remember this seal found on the street in connecticut? well, we've got an update that will make you smile.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ take a look. a baby seal is safe and on the mend this morning at a connecticut aquarium. the pup was discovered sunday on a busy street in new haven. it's not clear how he got so far from the ocean. he's estimated to be a few weeks old. the mystic aquarium is caring for the little guy and helping him bulk up with fish smoothies, yum. they plan to return the seal to his natural habitat in a few weeks. bottling new york city tap water, and walmart's ominous warning about the economy. here's carissa lawson with today's cbs "moneywatch." >> reporter: stocks took a nose-dive on thursday after a warning from walmart. the dow sank 450 points.

the nasdaq dropped 93, and the s&p lost 26. walmart, known for its everyday low prices, has been pulling customers in as inflation stayed high. the company projected a lower-than-expected sales outlook for 2025. as the world's largest retailer, the financial health of walmart can foreshadow the health of the consumer economy overall. new york state is suing some of the biggest distributors of chinese-made e-cigarettes accusing them of fueling the youth vaping epidemic. the lawsuit alleges the companies violate state laws by selling fruit and candy-flavored e-cigarettes that appeal to minors. none of the products are approved by federal health regulators. a trade group that represents makers and retailers, they say the lawsuit unfairly seeks to punish businesses that are trying to comply with regulations. and the iconic nathan's famous hot dog brand wants to send you a taste of new york city by putting it in a can. the company says it's bringing the magic of new york tap water to select states so you can boil

a hot dog the new york way. but the only way to get the water is to win it by going to their website. that's your cbs "moneywatch" report for this friday morning. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. coming up, the james bond fanchise is getting shaken, not stirred. what it means for 007's future. e in psoriasis commercials? the thousands of real people who go undiagnosed. people whose psoriasis can look very different depending on their skin tone. as the makers of tremfya®, we understand that everybody's moderate to severe plaque psoriasis doesn't look the same. so, we undertook a first-of-its-kind study of plaque psoriasis in every skin tone. like hers and his and yours. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine.

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bond, james bond. >> well, there's a shakeup coming to the world of james bond. amazon mgm studios is set to take creative control of the bond franchise as part of a deal with its two longtime producers. amazon actually gained the rights to distribute the bond films after acquiring mgm in 2022, the year after daniel craig's final spin as 007. the deal could allow amazon to expand bond into new areas like spinoff films and streaming shows. dolly parton is joining the wiggles world. ♪ friends everybody shout it friends ♪ ♪ no doubt about it friends ♪ >> the country mega-star is out

with a new children's song called "friends." she wrote the tune, and it's on the wiggles' album. and there's a rework of the classic hit "9 to 5" renamed "counting one to five." the album will be out march 7th. and the post office is saying thank you for being a friend. check out its latest forever stamp. it's the late, great betty white smiling right back at us. the "golden girls" actor shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades before she died in 2021 at age 99. it will be released march 27th. coming up on "cbs mornings," a great big world talk about their new music, upcoming broadway show, and decades' long friendship. we'll be back in a moment. decag friendship. we'll be back in a moment. (vo) what does it mean to be rich? maybe rich is less about reaching a magic number... and more about discovering magic.

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♪ cue those trumpets on a friday as we welcome you